Western US scrambles to secure water supplies as it faces historic drought

Leaders in the Western United States are scrambling to secure precious water supplies for their states and cities as they battle the worst drought conditions in 1,200 years with little, if any, relief on the horizon.

Irrigation districts in many parts of the Southwest are already warning farmers to expect less water from rivers such as the Rio Grande this year, even as demand has surged following months of below-average precipitation. And in the Pacific Northwest, experts are forecasting one of the driest summers on record, noting that more than 70% of the region is already considered to be in drought, with nearly one-quarter experiencing “extreme drought.”